1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to wireless communications and more particularly to coupling a wireless communication device to a physical device.
2. Description of the Related Art
Wireless communication systems are commonly used to transfer data between two or more devices. Wireless communication systems typically convert transmit baseband digital data into transmit radio frequency (RF) data and receive RF data into receive baseband digital data. Transmit RF data may be transmitted from one wireless communication system to one or more wireless communication systems, thereby sending data from one wireless communication system to another. Similarly, receive RF data may be received by a wireless communication system and converted into receive baseband digital data. Wireless communication systems may be coupled to processing devices such as computers, servers, routers, personal digital assistants, and the like. Thus, data may be transferred from one processing device to another processing device through wireless communication systems.
Wireless communication systems may have relatively high data transfer rates. The operation of wireless communication systems may be governed by standards, such as the IEEE 802.11 family of wireless communication standards. Such standards may describe how wireless communication systems may be configured to support relatively high data transfer rates. Furthermore, wireless communication systems may be designed and built around wireless communication devices, such as specially designed wireless communication integrated circuits. Such integrated circuits may have a relatively low-cost, thereby making the cost of the wireless communication system relatively low-cost as well. Thus, wireless communication systems may have a relatively high data transfer rates and a relatively low-cost.
In some areas, there may be little or no wireless communication infrastructure. There may be areas, for example, that lack wireless communication infrastructure, but instead have a physical infrastructure for communications. One example of a physical infrastructure is a cable-based infrastructure in which data is carried through a cable instead of being transmitted and received through the air. However, users may still desire relatively high data transfer rates when using a physical infrastructure. Unfortunately, the cost of the components that couple processing devices to a physical infrastructure while retaining such high data transfer rates may be relatively high.
Therefore, a need arises for a relatively low cost communication system that can transfer data at relatively high data rates through a physical infrastructure.